Inspection Detail

Inspection: 310355078 - Dhl Express (Usa), Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Chicago North Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 10:00 p.m. on September 12, 2006, Employee #1 was working for DHL Express (USA), Inc., at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, IL. He had been employed by the company since 1996. A cargo container had been removed from a truck and was sitting on a raised forks of a forklift. Employee #1 was standing between the semi-truck and the raised cargo container, when the semi-truck driver backed up the truck. Employee #1 was crushed between a loaded pallet that had been raised with cargo and the back of the semi-truck. He sustained a concussion to his back. He was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, IL, where he was pronounced dead at 11:10 p.m. The cargo transfer operation was performed several times daily. The employer stated that there are standard operating procedures, but he had not produced them. Training documents were obtained showing that a plan for employee training in working airport operations was submitted. There were two DHL employees and one subcontractor, an employee of Evergreen International, who were in the vicinity and witnessed the accident.

Keywords: PALLETIZED CARGO, LOADING RAMP, BACK, CRUSHED, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, TRUCK, STRUCK BY, CONCUSSION